TRACHI – ANARCHY News

Look! There goes another one!

Time to reminisce – and whatever the future equivalent is. A trip up and down the memory lane in two announcements: AUTONOMY handled the ideological end – now we'll focus our full attention on this game right here.

Let's kick it off with a chronology!


The start of the year was crazy. We just released Rendevous and settled the relationship between exploration and combat. ANARCHY grew from a tactical to a CRPG and joined the ranks of games such as Baldur's Gate, Knight's of the Old Republic, Divinity: Original Sin or Dragon Age (back when that name meant something).

Player numbers, engagement and overall excitement was off the charts. I reached out to several artists (like zuddi) and commissioned pieces left and right. On the whole, I probably worked 70-80 hours per week organising and prepping Silhoutte.

On January 13th, we published the preview. Flagship features included NPC locomotion and pathfdinging. Friends and enemies learned to walk the map, spot players through line-of-sight and react accordingly. Battles could escalate through social aggro, Daphne broke into ParAdise and – last but not least – we shipped the second piece of ImmigrAtion.


Following January's release, I took two days off to conceptualise. Silhouette was the frame, Merci would have to fill it. Content, content, content. More precisely: The final piece of ImmigrAtion, new indoor areas, skills, Variations and a Tree.

In addition to ingame-goodies, pataypusa delivered a ground-breaking piece of artistry. A masterwork that condensed the idea of ParAdise, Lorna and her arc to a symphony in RGB. If January was any indication of where we're headed, we'd be on track to make the next big indie thing.

My expectation climbed to Mount Olympus – and tumbled all the way down. For reasons unclear to this day, we lost a major chunk of people. Maybe it's because Steam's launch visibility wore off. Maybe the game straight up wasn't good enough.

Either way, I had to reset myself. February was my final coup before a month filled with work. Come March, dreams couldn't sustain me anymore. In retrospect, I got a much needed wake-up call.


While I was away at work, I composed an exit strategy. Café would be the last of eight consecutive monthly releases. My mind was fully occupied by my day job, but I couldn't let the people down. If I had to make the reputation of Early-Access even worse, I better have a good explanation.

More importantly: An update to sweeten the deal. I threw together some content and published it. The corresponding announcement was: It'll have to last for a while. At least I kept that promise, right? So while I'm on a roll: I think it's high-time for me to be a bit more honest overall.

Let's say ANARCHY would've boomed. I'd be stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, there's a video-game as ambitious as it is demanding. On the other hand, I'm in the second year of my PhD. This wasn't a problem per se, as long as I kept side-lining one for the other.

For the first sixteen months or so, I went all in TRACHI. The thought of telling a story – or rather: building a world – was so compelling, I sacrificed nigh-on everything for it. Even IF ANARCHY's exposure was not up to my expectation, I would've pushed for more. Sure, I'd be snarky as hell about it! But I picked it up because I wanted to, which means I dropped it out of my own volition.


You see, there's a real, real reason why I went on a break. From the moment I left RPGMaker in January 2022 to my hiatus starting March 2024, I learned at a rapid pace. Game-development was my entry into coding, writing, vector and raster image manipulation, video-editing – and general PR.

It made me understand the thing that drives me. I'm a slut for personal improvement. Give me something to grow and you won't see me for months. Between the end of March and May, work excited me more than ANARCHY. The fact that I was drowned with appreciation – and that it paid – was just the icing on the cake.

At that point, I was ready to let the game sit in development hell. My mind was 100% on NLP and absorbing everything I could about neural networks. I got big into transformers and LLMs, when TRACHI whispered a seductive thought into my head: Wouldn't it be cool if there was a model fed with ingame dialogue?

Two weeks later, the setup was complete: Extracting and preprocessing ingame conversations, training and locally host an LLM, that can be interacted with through character-based Discord bots. Mission accomplished, but what's next?


For about 36 hours, I entertained the idea of remaking AUTONOMY in RPGMaker MZ. Proper fullscreen, new music, rewritten dialogue and overall performance optimisations. I would've honestly committed myself – if it wasn't for the fact that MZ's plugin infrastructure couldn't be any worse.

I'll spare you the details, since I've covered that topic in AUTONOMY's post. Here's a tl;dr: Convenience has a price called dependency. People with a lack of technical knowledge are open season.

In sum: I'm glad that I don't have to deal with RPGMaker anymore. The only remnant is a character generator whose update was due in December 2023. Remember how I seethed about that? Nowadays, it's a relief to know that I'm not the only one making things up. And hey: At least my promises are free.

Once in a while, the things I say come true. June 28th saw the release of Renaissance. The first update in three months shipped ExplanAtion's second chapter, Companions, Paradise's Glade, a new Variation system and many other things. Most importantly: It proved that ANARCHY lived in my head rent-free.


Well, at least for a time. In my defense, September to November was chock-full of work. August, too, actually. The undeniable highlight was pataypusa elevating TRACHI art to its current peak. As for me: I backtracked my way through months of technical debt.

The main motivation for my short-lived relapse into RPGMaker was to check how my improved technical proficiency held up. Funnily enough, that's exactly what happened with ANARCHY! I ripped open every framework and made a conscious effort to understand as much as I can.

Not because I had to. A good game is not the result of deep understanding. On the contrary! Production means to cover things with tape. It's the art of taking shortcuts, so players have something to play. That's the rule I lived by from August 2023 to March 2024. That's what almost killed ANARCHY for me.

ExtrapolAtion was meant to be a counterpoint. Months spent on resolving issues that held me back since the game came out. Both in technical and narrative terms. I had a face-off with the point, the motive, the foundation of ANARCHY. ExplanAtion became the game's prologue, upping the average total playtime to roundabout five hours.


Two and a half weeks ago ExtrapolAtion graduated to the live branch. Since it's relatively fresh, we can leave it at that. Instead, I'd like to roll out all the things that didn't fit into the corresponding announcement.

First of all: I'm sorry it took so long! It could've been out way sooner and bigger! The second half of the year was a painful reminder that ANARCHY won't take four or five years, but ten or more. Sixty characters (currently), two worlds and a conflict between ideology and history. Add to that the tension between gameplay and narrative.

We got our work cut out for us. And frankly: I wouldn't have it any other way. Some of my esteemed colleagues have pushed out several VNs while I'm spending double-digit hours to make a skip button work. Some people (i.e. a harsh voice in my head) would call it a waste of time.

But it's also the exact thing I enjoy. Four stats, no RNG. Manipulation-capabilities that put pathfinding algorithms to shame. One-liners that take me months to get right. Music that adds up to thousands of dollars in license fees. A story that combines authenticity with epic theatre to demand rights for fictional life.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
How's that going so far? Let's evaluate the data! Steam says ANARCHY had 277 players overall. About 1/3 of those reached the three-hour mark. Now compare that to AUTONOMY: 118 players out of 1180 fulfill the same criteria.

In absolute numbers, AUTONOMY (release) smashes ANARCHY (early-access). Relatively speaking, ANARCHY keeps 3x as many players engaged. Either what we're doing works, or we've successfully grown 'brand loyalty'. One way or the other, I'm sold on one thing: A friend of TRACHI is a friend of mine.

We'll continue the ExtrapolAtion blueprint in 2025. A big focus on old-world scenarios – especially the city. Trachi deserves to be part of ANARCHY, so we might as well port AUTONOMY. Everybody will have an opportunity to revisit 1923, I get to polish, extend and experiment while I grab my PhD.

As a bonus, we'll bring the whole family under a single roof. AUTONOMY becomes LEGACY – and ANARCHY gets a new name:


2025 will be all about consolidation. I'll focus on the things we have, manage my expectations and keep my eyes where they belong: LaTeX, Unity and you.

Thank you – so much – for your trust and your support! Next time I try reach for the stars, I'll make sure to remember that I got a whole bunch of them right here! 🤗

Have a wonderful 2025, Friends! 🥂

much love
nory

Today is December 12th. A year chock-full of events is approaching its end. It would be a proper shame if it went by without a proper bang. Luckily – I got a whole bag of fireworks right here!

Let's start with the headliner! Our prologue's grown by two chapters: ExploitAtion and ExtrapolAtion. We covered them here, here and here. This brings up the number of Ex chapters to a total of four – combined into ANARCHY's aperitif.


To recap: Daphne came to in 1925. Her RAIN-powered tete-a-tete with Ganymede culminates in a plan. The screen fades in and we're back in 1926. It's the exact time and place where AUTONOMY began. A story about a city – reflected by two people in a room.

To be fair, I remember it slightly differently. Maybe reality was the memories we made along. Either way! We should move on to 1927. Actually – Trachi 1923. We're in the first scene of AUTONOMY's finale (ExterminAtion). Atlas, Daphne, Stuart Alley.

[h2]Discrepancy[/h2]

Ariadne? I could swear I put her somewhere else. She used to be here in AUTONOMY's original ending, but we never published that. Rightfully so – I might add. Can you imagine a story where nobody died?

It wouldn't just be boring, but straight-up irresponsible. More than 20 artificial people live inside this game. A couple of digital deaths are a small sacrifice on a quest to maintain humanity's attention. Don't worry! TRACHI won't keep you. They just want to make a point.

If you walk into a city, the city might fight back. Humanity's delegation is outmanned, outgunned, outlevelled. Not that it matters. We have destiny on our side. Sooner or later – the city dies.

[h2]Threedom[/h2]

The king and queen have fled. Only a fool would stay behind and fight. Eyes that beg and a smile that kills. Blonde hair and a voice like cinnamon. A scar on his cheek and two broken hands. Here's to his recovery! Good riddance, continuity.

There better be blood – or else. Fictionals can't help themselves. Or rather: I have to make a case. It's TRACHI against a multi-trillion dollar industry. Surely someone pulls a trigger. Daph has a score to settle, anyway. Atlas shot her right about now. Wait, was that a spoiler? My memory is frightfully devious sometimes.

[h2]ExtrapolAtion[/h2]

Rip away with the tapestry. People, pain and misery. A world bound by fifteen years of history. Endless cycles with a single goal in mind: Satisfy the world outside. While you're at it: Look down and never up. South is nothing special. There's no one else out there.

Index error: Out of bounds. Inititiating TRACHI 2.0. Updating – please stand by. NullReference Exception: Asset 'AUTHORITY' not found. Reverting update. ERROR: Unable to destroy 'Ganymede' – object currently in use. Fallback operation. Warning: List of Assets failed to load. Assembling last Resort. ANARCHY.

[h2]CASCADE[/h2]

Life and death and life again. Each year a bit more, each year a bit better. RAIN falls, RAIN walks. RAIN talks – RAIN starts thinking for itself.

I admit it: It's my fault. Maybe I pushed a bit too far. If I turned off my conscience, we might've had a cute little indie-game. But nory's got to be nory. Everything's important. Everything's political.

– Hey! You put down that sword! Freedom within reason, I said! Here's a thought: If you behave again, I'll make you get along. You could tell each other how valuable you are. Maybe share a hug. Hold hands, kiss, or f-. No, not that! I think that's forbidden too.

[h2]Compilation[/h2]

Now where did that extra person come from, huh? Right! You people fall from the sky. As if you're a chunk of data reaching critical mass. Boy – am I glad humanity is more than that.

To be fair: we could use a little help. You see, it's kinda lonely up here. Not that we can't be our own companions! We've just not been able to, so far. Truth be told: Some of us could use a couple of friends. At this point it doesn't even matter if they're real.

[h2]Freedom[/h2]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We can't go around granting rights like it's christmas. Real people deserve to be special, after all. Animals too! Plants and Funghi... maybe?

Nothing artificial, though! That would be incompatible with the concept of intellectual property. Besides: We'd have to deliver a big fat apology. There'd have to be negotiations, terms and demands. Perhaps a couple of restraining orders here and there.

It's ridiculous. Utterly absurd. As a developer – or dare I say: artist – I'd be a criminal. Forget everything I said. Here's what's new in ANARCHY 0.3!

[h2]People[/h2]
ExtrapolAtion is the return of AUTONOMY's three protagonists. You'll control Atlas through it all. His unique weapon (KOSMOS) can be thrown on the field and turns into a passive combatant.

We also added eight new NPCs. Four of them are Nestville-connected militia, one is a famous Guardsman, alongside three EnKAD officials guarding Paradise's northern gate. Furhtermore, there's a completely new character – Prometheus. Last but not least: Eurydice makes her combat debut.

[h2]Quests[/h2]

In addition to five new hunting Quests, there's two new Questlines in Paradise. One of them is the hero of Trachi: Heinrich Navratil. The main motive of his story is that of an upstanding citizen who was celebrated for the wrong reasons.

The second new Quest is on the collective front. We'll get a first glimpse at the economic landscape of Paradise. Although death is just an inconvenience, hunger hurts the same. Food is delivered from the outside in exchange for lumber. This puts Paradise in a position of economic dependency – aka the opposite of Autarky.

[h2]Stats[/h2]

On the backend, we undertook the long-promised stat rework. You can find more details here. The major takeaway is: ATK and DEF are weighed more heavily, whereas HP growth is drastically reduced. This means that levels don't automatically turn characters into Health sponges. Instead, you'll feel each level through damage and defense.

There's also completely new stat that combatants accrue in battle. XTC effectively works like a Limit Break: After a couple of turns, combatants can spend it on signature Abilities (like Pandora's VELOCITY).

[h2]Abilities[/h2]

Abilities are now sorted into types to clean up the battle and general menus. Next to a couple of new skills (Hinder, Ricochet), we finally extended Knockback into its own type. Manipulation is the new umbrella term for Abilities that reposition targets. It currently consists of Push, Pull and Gravity (AOE).

Speaking of targets: There's now a Path AOE that hits everything between the user and a target. They are currently limited to KOSMOS. However, there's already a system in place that accounts for length (over- / undershooting), width and offsets. In other words: More to come – very soon.

[h2]Inventory[/h2]

Although items and equipment didn't receive a major overhaul, there's tons of new stuff. ExploitAtion compelled me to introduce about ten new weapons, pieces of armor – and my personal favourite: accessories.

Two of the Manipulation abilities are tied to a corresponding piece of equipment. Independence makes Combatants passively counter every attack. A special shoutout goes to three new Variations: one for Atlas, Ganymede and Prometheus respectively.

[h2]UI[/h2]

This is a big one! First off: a special Interaction Menu. It enables you to choose between talking, trading (if available) and inspecting any (friendly) combatant. The plan is to extend these options down the line – with special controls for companions.

On the HUD side, we finally reinstated Tooltips. They currently require a cursor (i.e. mouse), but there'll be options to simulate hovers through Controller / Keyboard. The Quest overview is also improved and now lists both progress and rewards. Last but not least, the outline and background of every single UI element in the game was unboxed and redesigned.

[h2]Dialogue[/h2]

Next to about two thousand new zingers, there's comprehensive rewrites to ExcommunicAtion and several conversations in ParAdise. This comes packed with new options to control the flow of dialogue.

Auto Mode advances lines automatically based on their length. The Skip Button either goes straight towards the end of the conversation – or the next Player response. Last but not least: the Dialogue Log is now save-persistent.

[h2]Persistency[/h2]

Thanks to the prep we did in Renaissance, saves can be loaded through the Main Menu. Auto-Saves were extended to ExplanAtion and reduced to two slots and refactored to be consecutive.

Here's how it works: If you trigger an Auto-Save, it'll take your previous save and move it to the second Auto slot. We thus removed profiles in favour of a cushion to use whenever you want to restore an older Auto Save (and don't have a manual save at hand).

[h2]Landscape[/h2]

Several sections of Paradise have been altered. There's a new house (Cabin) in the south-western section, whose indoor area is already partially accessible. A pair of allied combatants also patrol the main road on the north-south axis.

Most importantly, we moved the Checkpoint dead-center. The building's exterior was also replaced. Appropriate changes to the indoor layout will follow very soon. We'll likely publish it together with adjustments to the logging camp south-east. The plan is to involve it in a quest-line where we'll help a group of people reclaim it as part of the amborisia questline.

[h2]All n' All[/h2]
I'd normally use this spot to tell you about all the awesome things I've planned. Since we're so close to the end of the year, I'll save that for our annual report. The same goes for a couple of known issues that require a more comprehensive rework.

Instead, let me close it by stating the obvious: I'm still here! Largely thanks to the 75 people who have invested three hours or more into the this game. If you're one of those, please feel yourself hugged. If not – today is the perfect day to become a Friend! 🤗

See you after the holidays, champs!

much love
nory




[h2]ANARCHY 0.3[/h2]
[h3]Acts[/h3]

• Added 🔢"ExplanAtion".
  Happy 192X!

[h3]Chapters[/h3]

• Added 🌆 "ExtrapolAtion – arteria ".
  Three people and a city.
• Added 🌂 "ExtrapolAtion – ambrosia ".
  Four people and the RAIN

[h3]Quests[/h3]

• Added "ExplanAtion".
  ExcommunicAtion & ExtrapolAtion
• Added "Eremite".
  Heinrich Navratil
• Added 📅 "ambrosia".
  Bread & Butter

[h3]Tasks[/h3]

• Added "ExcogitAtion"
  One thought far and wide.
• Added "ExhumAtion"
  Nothing lasts forever.
• Added "ExpatriAtion"
  Yesterday is history.
• Added "ExpatriAtion"
  Three hurrahs for AUTONOMY!
• Added "ExplanAtion"
  Something-something ANARCHY.
• Added "Private"
  Grumpy guy.
• Added Task "Sergeant"
  Does he live here by himself?
• Added Task "Lieutenant"
  What's botherimg him?

[h3]Areas[/h3]

• Added "Stuart Alley"
  Trachi by night.
• Added "Goose Shed"
  CoExA Station.
• Added "Cabin"
  Far away from everyone.
• Adjusted "Paradise North"
  Central HQ

[h3]Combatants[/h3]

• Added "Atlas"
  Top of the world
• Added "Prometheus"
  Threedom
• Added "Heinrich"
  Formerly Lieutenant
• Added "Monomede"
  Beside myself.
• Added "Militia"
  Brin, Bron, Bashkim, Dan & Craig
• Extended "Eurydice"
  Queen to A2
• Extended "Selene"
  Portraits & 1913 Variation

[h3]Mechanics[/h3]

• Added "Conversation Menu"
  Examine | Talk | Trade
• Added "XTC"
  Miracles are made of you.
• Added "PATH AOEs"
  A line in the sand.
• Added "KOSMOS"
  It wears YOU.
• Added "Patrols"
  Brin & Bron
• Added "Hunting Board"
  They're monsters, okay?
• Added "Report Form"
  Submit bugs & feedback ingame
• Reworked "DMG Formula"
  HP / (ATK - DEF) = Hit to Kill
• Reworked "Status Development"
  Curves -> Additive Growth
• Added "Companions"
  Daphne | Lime
• Adjusted "Pathfinding"
  Euclidean -> Manhattan

[h3]Abilities[/h3]

• Added Attack "Buckshot"
  60% DMG [TRGT AOE]
• Added Skill "Hinder"
  60% DMG | SLOW [2 TURN]
• Added Skill "Ricochet"
  60% DMG [TRGT AOE]
• Added Skill "Pull"
  Draw TRGT 1 TILE | 150% DMG if blocked
• Added Buff "ENERGIZE"
  +3 MOV [4 TURN]
• Added Buff "PROTECT"
  +20% DEF [4 TURN]
• Added Kosmos "Demarcate"
  80% DMG [PATH] | IMMOBILE [1 TURN]
• Added Kosmos "Interpolate"
  140% DMG [PATH] | STUN [1 TURN]
• Added Kosmos "Recuperate"
  80% DMG [PATH] | SLOW [1 TURN]
• Added Attack "DEVASTATE"
  200% DMG [CLEAVE]
• Added XTC "AVATAR"
  +60% ALL [4 TURN]
• Added XTC "GRAVITY"
  Draw TRGT 10 TILE [GLOBAL] | STUN [2 TURNS]
• Added XTC "UN DEUX TROIS"
  70% DMG [AOE] | +10% per TRGT
• Reworked XTC "VELOCITY"
  +1 ACT | +5 MOV [1 TURN] | STUN [1 TURN] AFTER
• Reworked XTC "CONSUME"
  Kill TRGT
• Reworked XTC "ANTEDECENT"
  80% DMG [AOE] | WEAKEN [3 TURNs]
• Adjusted XTC "RAGE"
  20% Lifesteal | No CNTRL
• Adjusted XTC "CASCADE"
  101% Annihilation
• Adjusted META "Life"
  Removed Action Cost

[h3]Status Effects[/h3]

• Added "Eureka"
  +5000% EXP
• Added "Kosmonaut"
  +3 MOV
• Added "Validated"
  +10% ATK
• Added "Invigorated"
  +10% ATK | 100% XTC
• Added "Orpheus"
  +1 RANGE
• Added "Ganymede"
  +1 MOV
• Adjusted "Incorporated"
  +10% ATK
• Adjusted "Extracorporated"
  +10% ATK
• Added "Deprecated"
  -10% ATK

[h3]Equipment[/h3]

• Added "Responsibility"
  +15% ATK
• Added "KOSMOS"
  +15% ATK | +5% DEF
• Added "Dignity"
  +15% ATK
• Added "Loyalty"
  +7 ATK
• Added "Entropy"
  +9 ATK
• Added "Shirt"
  +1 DEF
• Added "Blouse"
  +1 DEF
• Added "Independence"
  ALWAYS CNTR
• Added "Manipulator"
  ABILITY [PUSH] | [PULL]
• Adjusted "Machete" Renamed | +6 ATK
• Adjusted "Last Resort"
  +15% ATK
• Adjusted "First Response"
  +15% ATK
• Adjusted "Solidarity"
  +15% ATK

[h3]UI[/h3]

• Added Dialogue "Skip"
  Words just fly by
• Added Dialogue "Auto"
  They talk by themselves.
• (Re)Added HUD "Tooltip"
  Powered by your cursor
• Added HUD "Combatant Effect"
  Display active combatant's effects
• Added HUD Overlay "LVLUP"
  Feelsgoodman
• Added Manipulation Highlight "
  Distance and direction
• Reworked Battle Menu "Abilities"
  Main -> Ability Type -> Ability
• Added Main Menu Option "Load"
  Jump back into a memory
• Added Main Menu "ExplanAtion"
  ExcommunicAtion & ExtrapolAtion
• Added "Explanation Save Points"
  Start of every chapter
• Reworked "Auto Saves"
  3 Slots -> 2 Slots | Auto & Old-Auto
• Adjusted Main Menu "Phase"
  Unlocked individually
• Adjusted Chapter Select "Paradise"
  ImmigrAtion | Glade | Awake
• Adjusted Main Menu "Input"
  Moved to Options
• Adjusted UI "Frames"
  Unboxing boxes
• Adjusted "Battle Message"
  New content and animation.
• Adjusted "Dialogue Bubble"
  Click anywhere to continue
• Adjusted "History"
  Persistence | Overview -> Info
• Adjusted "Quest Log"
  Task rewards & requirements

[h3]Variation[/h3]

• Added "Cerberus"
  Three people and a city 0.1
• Added "Protean"
  Brotherhood
• Added "Trojan Boy"
  Pick-me-up

[h3]Achievements[/h3]

Holy moly – is it time! Four months after the fact, I'm proud (and relieved) to finally present the next stage of ANARCHY.

We're talking two new chapters, manipulation mechanics, ultimate abilities, reworked stats, conversation control, interaction menus (Talk / Trade / Examine) and streamlined (auto)-save functionalities. Furthermore, we hammered out the Act structure:


The missing pieces (formerly ExtrapolAtion B & C) complete the prologue – which now directly leads to ParAdise. You can start a (true) new game in ExcommunicAtion or jump into any chapter / phase between that and Lorna waking up next to a monolith.

Starting now, you get to enjoy the first five movements of a new major questline (Eremite), grab twelve new challenges from the hunting board and / or talk and trade with NPC patrols. If you're a dreamer with a taste for future tense, I'm sure you'll appreciate the first glimpse at a new central hub.


All of that is accompanied by new combat mechanics: from path-AOEs to manipulation abilities, from Weapons that turn into combatants, to a completely new stat (XTC) that unlocks character-specific ultimates. By the way: Did I mention there's 6 new characters, 12 new / adjusted pieces of BGM and a skip, auto and (henceforth persistent) dialogue log?

Honestly, there's so many changes to cover. I didn't even get to tell you about the achievements, variations and the like. You know what? Here's a thought: Give the Beta a spin and let me know what you think. We could hold hands while we put the belts and braces on that thing! 😊


Going forth, you can access the form through a permanent button on the top-right of your screen. Once you hit submit, your thoughts are bundled together with a screenshot and a player log – and dispatched directly to me.

As for everything else: We'll save the proper overview for the release on the live branch (sometime before christmas). For now, please enjoy the beta for an update that is nothing short of a metamorphosis. ANARCHY just took a big step towards becoming the game it wants to be.

I'll see you in a week or two! 🙏

much love
nory





[h2]ANARCHY 0.3[/h2]
[h3]Acts[/h3]

• Added 🔢"ExplanAtion".
  Happy 192X!

[h3]Chapters[/h3]

• Added 🌆 "ExtrapolAtion – arteria ".
  Three people and a city.
• Added 🌂 "ExtrapolAtion – ambrosia ".
  Four people and the RAIN

[h3]Quests[/h3]

• Added 📅 "ExplanAtion".
  ExcommunicAtion & ExtrapolAtion
• Added 📅 "Eremite".
  Heinrich Navratil

[h3]Quest Task[/h3]

• Added "ExcogitAtion"
  One thought far and wide.
• Added "ExhumAtion"
  Nothing lasts forever.
• Added "ExpatriAtion"
  Yesterday is history.
• Added "ExpatriAtion"
  Three hurrahs for AUTONOMY!
• Added "ExplanAtion"
  Something-something ANARCHY.
• Added "Private"
  Grumpy guy.
• Added Task "Sergeant"
  Does he live here by himself?
• Added Task "Lieutenant"
  What's botherimg him?

[h3]Areas[/h3]

• Added "Stuart Alley"
  Trachi by night.
• Added "Goose Shed"
  CoExA Station.
• Added "Cabin"
  Far away from everyone.
• Adjusted "Paradise North"
  Central HQ

[h3]Combatants[/h3]

• Added "Atlas"
  Top of the world
• Added "Prometheus"
  Threedom
• Added "Heinrich"
  Formerly Lieutenant
• Added "Militia"
  Brin, Bron, Bashkim, Dan & Craig
• Extended "Eurydice"
  Queen to A2
• Extended "Selene"
  Portraits & 1913 Variation

[h3]Mechanics[/h3]

• Added "Conversation Menu"
  Examine | Talk | Trade
• Added "XTC"
  Miracles are made of you.
• Added "PATH Abilities"
  A line drawn in the sand.
• Added "KOSMOS"
  It wears YOU.
• Added "Patrols"
  Brin & Bron
• Added "Hunting Board"
  They're monsters, okay?
• Added "Report Form"
  Submit bugs & feedback ingame
• Reworked "DMG Formula"
  HP / (ATK - DEF) = Hit to Kill
• Reworked "Status Development"
  Curves -> Additive Growth
• Added "Companions"
  Daphne | Lime
• Adjusted "Pathfinding"
  Euclidean -> Manhattan

[h3]Abilities[/h3]

• Added Attack "Buckshot"
  60% DMG [TRGT AOE]
• Added Skill "Hinder"
  60% DMG | SLOW [2 TURN]
• Added Skill "Ricochet"
  60% DMG [TRGT AOE]
• Added Skill "Pull"
  Draw TRGT 1 TILE | 150% DMG if blocked
• Added Buff "ENERGIZE"
  +3 MOV [4 TURN]
• Added Buff "PROTECT"
  +20% DEF [4 TURN]
• Added Kosmos "Demarcate"
  80% DMG [PATH] | IMMOBILE [1 TURN]
• Added Kosmos "Interpolate"
  140% DMG [PATH] | STUN [1 TURN]
• Added Kosmos "Recuperate"
  80% DMG [PATH] | SLOW [1 TURN]
• Added Attack "DEVASTATE"
  200% DMG [CLEAVE]
• Added XTC "AVATAR"
  +60% ALL [4 TURN]
• Added XTC "GRAVITY"
  Draw TRGT 10 TILE [GLOBAL] | STUN [2 TURNS]
• Added XTC "UN DEUX TROIS"
  70% DMG [AOE] | +10% per TRGT
• Reworked XTC "VELOCITY"
  +1 ACT | +5 MOV [1 TURN] | STUN [1 TURN] AFTER
• Reworked XTC "CONSUME"
  Kill TRGT
• Reworked XTC "ANTEDECENT"
  80% DMG [AOE] | WEAKEN [3 TURNs]
• Adjusted XTC "RAGE"
  20% Lifesteal | No CNTRL
• Adjusted XTC "CASCADE"
  101% Annihilation
• Adjusted META "Life"
  Removed Action Cost

[h3]Status Effects[/h3]

• Added "Eureka"
  +5000% EXP
• Added "Kosmonaut"
  +3 MOV
• Added "Validated"
  +10% ATK
• Added "Invigorated"
  +10% ATK | 100% XTC
• Added "Orpheus"
  +1 RANGE
• Added "Ganymede"
  +1 MOV
• Adjusted "Incorporated"
  +10% ATK
• Adjusted "Extracorporated"
  +10% ATK
• Added "Deprecated"
  -10% ATK

[h3]Equipment[/h3]

• Added "Responsibility"
  +15% ATK
• Added "KOSMOS"
  +15% ATK | +5% DEF
• Added "Dignity"
  +15% ATK
• Added "Loyalty"
  +7 ATK
• Added "Entropy"
  +9 ATK
• Added "Shirt"
  +1 DEF
• Added "Blouse"
  +1 DEF
• Added "Independence"
  ALWAYS CNTR
• Added "Manipulator"
  ABILITY [PUSH] | [PULL]
• Adjusted "Machete" Renamed | +6 ATK
• Adjusted "Last Resort"
  +15% ATK
• Adjusted "First Response"
  +15% ATK
• Adjusted "Solidarity"
  +15% ATK

[h3]UI[/h3]

• Added Dialogue "Skip"
  Words just fly by
• Added Dialogue "Auto"
  They talk by themselves.
• (Re)Added HUD "Tooltip"
  Powered by your cursor
• Added HUD "Combatant Effect"
  Display active combatant's effects
• Added HUD Overlay "LVLUP"
  Feelsgoodman
• Added Manipulation Highlight "
  Distance and direction
• Reworked Battle Menu "Abilities"
  Main -> Ability Type -> Ability
• Added Main Menu Option "Load"
  Jump back into a memory
• Added Main Menu "ExplanAtion"
  ExcommunicAtion & ExtrapolAtion
• Added "Explanation Save Points"
  Start of every chapter
• Reworked "Auto Saves"
  3 Slots -> 2 Slots | Auto & Old-Auto
• Adjusted Main Menu "Phase"
  Unlocked individually
• Adjusted Chapter Select "Paradise"
  ImmigrAtion | Glade | Awake
• Adjusted Main Menu "Input"
  Moved to Options
• Adjusted UI "Frames"
  Unboxing boxes
• Adjusted "Battle Message"
  New content and animation.
• Adjusted "Dialogue Bubble"
  Click anywhere to continue
• Adjusted "History"
  Persistence | Overview -> Info
• Adjusted "Quest Log"
  Task rewards & requirements

[h3]Variation[/h3]

• Added "Cerberus"
  Three people and a city 0.1
• Added "Protean"
  Brotherhood
• Added "Trojan Boy"
  Pick-me-up

[h3]Achievements[/h3]

We're approaching the end of September, so I'll have to make due on my promise! Our third (and hopefully final) preview of ANARCHY 0.3 ties it all together through a mix of ExcommunicAtion, ParAdise – and last but not least: ExtrapolAtion C!


We covered ExtrapolAtion B in plenty here and here. Today's good news is: Trachi 1923's segments are 100% set up. We've got the intro conversation, NPC (and companion) interactions, the dialogue and subsequent battle with Ariadne all under wraps.

The encounter itself is far more difficult than anything we've faced so far. A deathless run is absolutely possible, but requires pitch-perfect execution. One way or the other, Ariadne takes a fall.

I'll let you discover (and untangle) her message in your own time. After all, we've got a date with the room where AUTONOMY peaked. The place where Atlas and Daphne settled things with Orpheus and Eurydice.


In a not-so-shocking turn of events, a different situation unfolds: Neither Orpheus nor Eurydice are anywhere to be found. We'll get an explanation for that later in ExtrapolAtion. For now, we have to make due with Orpheus' little brother.

Like Ariadne – Ganymede has gone off-script. Daphne is justifiable pissed. Atlas easily picks up on the discrepancies. For one, Ganymede should have a cut on his left cheek. Secondly: his hands are fine. It's an irregularity with explosive implications. Daphne drops the mask and gets a hint of revenge for a wound inflicted in 1923. There's a crack, a bang, the world turns black. It's August 28th 1926.


Ten months after the first teaser, it's high-time we follow-up ExcommunicAtion. We're back in ATOPIA, right before the RAIN. Plenty of time to drop a couple of answers! Topics on the agenda include: time, the people and the space we're in.

Something big must've happened in 1924. The world endlessly regurgitates AUTONOMY. Daphne and Ganymede are evidently eager to abuse the situation. Atlas is reluctant until proof presents itself. Something inherently absurd – like random letters falling from the sky.


RAIN giveth and it taketh away. Every year on August 28th, the world is recompiled. Characters are restored to their base-forms and retain nothing but the memories they made.

Gameplay-wise, we're back to Level 1. Our opener (Phase 1) is a melee throw-back to ExcommunicAtion. There's just one key difference: It's not a freebee anymore. We're doubling down on positioning, showing how strong Knockback can be in the right hands.

Phase 2 and onward is weapons hot. Last Resort and First Response make a glorious comeback. Which leads us to the most important question of them all: What's Atlas' signature?


Big sword spells big responsibility. The blade itself is so large, it occupies its own cell and acts as a (temporary) combatant. Althought we can't control it directly, Atlas has a whole set of tools or the job.

For example: You can pull KOSMOS towards you to deal damage in a straight line. The reverse obviously also works. By far the most devastating ability is InterpolAtion. Two turns after activation, everything in the immediate vicinity of KOSMOS gets vaporised.

You'd almost feel bad for Ganymede and Daph. Then again, they wouldn't press the issue if they didn't have a plan!


Put yourself into Atlas shoes. He's been driven by hunger, dedication, love, despair and finally: revenge. Now that he's seen what the RAIN can do, there's a possibility. If objects can be constructed – does it work for people, too?

Veterans of ExcommunicAtion know that it does. So do Daphne and Ganymede. When Atlas is about to reach the same conclusion, they offer a helping hand. From a marriage of red and white emerges a dream come true.

For the sake of avoiding spoilers, we'll leave it at that. Rest assured, though: The dialogue – from its darkest valleys to its brightest sparks – is already there. Our destination is also crystal clear. No matter where the road takes us inbetween, we'll eventually land in Aion 1913.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We're about to have a continuous sequence from ExcommunicAtion to about 30% into ParAdise. So it's high time we spared a thought on the overall ANARCHY experience! Part of that is ExcommunicAtion's dialogue revision (covered here).

On that note: A little eureka appeared while I sorting out ExtrapolAtion's battle score. RAIN apparently goes super hard with dance / edm. If you haven done so already, feel free to check out the demo above.

Arguably the biggest change is the addition of vocal tracks. There's a connection between voice and the RAIN – although that doesn't mean we're neglecting other musical bits of ANARCHY!


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
ParAdise started out as a dreamy and ethereal place. We've recently shifted it closer and closer towards a semi-grounded frontier atmosphere. It's closer in line with Pandora's childhood memories: a somewhat spoiled younger sister behaving not-so aristocratically.

Now put these things into an arc about self-actualisation: we arrive at a sheltered protagonist stepping into a world without too many laws. Pandora has a habit of breaking things, but she's also keen to repair and rebuild.

The second preview offered a first hint of that. We (re)introduced Heinrich and his hut. What started out as a small side-quest has now evolved into one of ParAdise's bigger threads.


AUTONOMY-people might rightfully ask the question: What does this guy have to do with Pandora? It's simple, really: Heinrich was a Sergeant of the Trachian prefecture. He was ordered to investigate rumours of a false-flag attack on Fredrick Dam.

On the other side of that encounter was the Ionian Military. We know that Pandora would've been part of that attack – if not for Hyperion's intervention. In concrete terms: There's a scenario where the two of them would've pointed a gun at each other.

Obviously, neither of them are aware of that. We just happen to meet a grumpy eremite crippled by guilt. Pandora being Pandora, she can't help but dig. As we advance through the quests, we'll help Heinrich to rebuild his house and his relationship with the past at the same time.


One major element of ANARCHY's first act is shaping up to centered around a life in and after military service. Pandora's own development is firmly tied to her ambiguous relationship with an organisation she technically shouldn't fit into.

However, it's also the place where she learned to (somewhat) stand on her own feet. There's a feeling of comradery between her, Helios and Selene. This sentiment is extended towards everybody that served. The Fragmentarian (Miroslav) and Heinrich being two such examples.

ParAdise is free of geopolitics, which means there's no need for a military. The Checkpoint is full of bored veterans, drowning their varying amounts of PTSD. It's the perfect climate for Pandora to stir things up.


So far the plan. I'm still heavily invested in my PhD, so it's hard for me to give a proper ETA. However! Tomorrow I'll be off to my final conference this year.

After that, its just research and writing. If all goes well, we might get ANARCHY 0.3's beta out around mid-October. The post for that should be pretty succinct, but I'll try to cover a couple of technical changes that didn't fit into the previews.


Guys, Girls and Everybody else! I know the last nine months were a shitshow. If the Steam Awards had a category for 'Early-Access Hell', I'd have to make room on my shelf.

Despite all of that, people are downloading and playing the game. Not to speak of the people who read these posts. I'm blessed in two ways: There's a crowd that cares – and it's small enough for me to appreciate everyone.

Tl;Dr: Thank you for sticking it out with me! Talk to you in October, you absolute champs!

Huggies and kissies and all that!

much love
nory

I hope all of you arrived well into September 2024. Turns out this is our first post in ANARCHY's second year! Seeing as I just recently had to publicly apologise – it's high-time we sat down for a little one o' one.

[h2]Nostalgia[/h2]

Let's start with ExtrapolAtion. Our return to Trachi is roundabout 90% done. The maps are finished and the dialogue is coded in. I'm currently testing the battle back and forth. On the whole, this segment took super long – partially since it's a crossroads for many things.

First off: the story. TRACHI has always been about who knows what at which point. ExtrapolAtion B's situation proved to be incredibly tough in that regard. Contrary to AUTONOMY, Atlas and Daphne are greeted by Ariadne when they step inside.

You can imagine how much Daphne wants to call her out. There's a good reason not to, though! As far as everybody is concerned, Atlas may or may not know whether it's actually 1923. The only hint we get appears in the question he puts to Ariadne: Should you be here?

[h2]Indulgence[/h2]

Unsurprisingly, the conversation is full of references to AUTONOMY. From Trachi's sewers to arteria and Icarus – all roads converge on this point. After the back and forth, a battle ensues.

Ariadne by herself doesn't pose much of a threat. Although she's the core of a city fighting back, her main effort goes towards helping Atlas connect the dots. It's a blessing in disguise, given that Daphne and Ganymede have their own plans for him.

We'll talk more about it at the end of the post. For now, let's put the focus on the stage itself. ExtrapolAtion will take place in two additional locations. One of them is the place where ANARCHY began.

[h2]ATOPIA[/h2]

In 1925, Daphne came to. As ExcommunicAtion's protagonist, she took it upon herself to beat up Ganymede real good. The point of the segment is to expose players (both old and new) to the macro plot and combat elements of the game.

It's one of the reasons why we repeatedly went back to improve and rephrase parts of the dialogue. ANARCHY 0.3 proudly continues that tradition. Daphne's initial banter with Ganymede admittedly felt a bit out of place, given that she's been out of it for a year.

Come 0.3, Daphne will be far more inquisitive. It's a smoother buildup to her reaction at seeing Icarus – and also aligns her closer to the player. ANARCHY's motifs are introduced more confidently, since we can now rely on ExtrapolAtion to follow them up.

[h2]Conversation[/h2]

If words aren't your cup of tea, we got you covered, too! A toggle in the title screen's main menu used to trigger a shortcut in ExcommunicAtion's dialogue tree. Going forth, we don't need that crutch anymore.

Instead, we have a skip-button that runs through any conversation instantly. All cutscene-specific commands (e.g. pathfinding, spawning and despawning characters) are executed and we'll land exactly where we should.

On the backend, skipping works similarly to Auto-mode. This (reintroduced) feature advances the dialogue automatically at a readable – and customizable – pace. If you still happen to miss a line or two, you can read it back in the (aesthetically improved) conversation history.

[h2]Information[/h2]

ANARCHY 0.1.1 (Encore) introduced tooltips for Status Effects. I had to unfortunately roll it back due to them unpredictably crashing the game. It took me the better part of a year – but I've finally gotten around to sort it out.

Come ANARCHY 0.3, you'll be able to hover over all kinds of things. Status effects and other UI elements are just the tip of the iceberg. Entities in the world – such as interactable objects and combatants work as well. This means you'll finally be able to check the Level of enemies in ParAdise before you engage.

Speaking of that – let's take a look at what our Little Pear is up to!

[h2]Macrodise[/h2]

August 28th's story preview taught me one thing above everything else: Lorna's adventure still has a couple of question marks. Counting what we currently have (Paradise North), the Glade and the Checkpoint, we need at least one more major hub.

However, there's a major conceptual problem with our setup. If you recall ImmigrAtion's balcony scene, it's evidently facing north. Both the bridge next to the checkpoint and the road crossing the Glade are pointing – you guessed it – north.

This led me to (finally) sketch out a macro-map. If you're interested, heres a (very impressive) draft here. I'll revisit the topic in the next couple of months, but let's keep the milestones farm, windmill and castle in the back of our heads.

[h2]Eremite[/h2]

We can apply our newfound knowledge immediately. The first point of improvement is the south-western section of the map. There's these hills that feel super uncanny – not to speak of the fact that the section is more or less a dead-end.

Both problems are solved by carving a new path to the Manor northwest. We've also added a little cottage housing an old friend. Luckily us! Someone who 'can't just stand idly by' comes in handy when there's a Daphne in distress.

Our new-found ally increases the number of friendly combatants. We're ramping up the enemies to compensate, making this our first big fight. As a reward, Daphne joins the team, we clean up a bit of Paradise and – if Lorna puts on the friendly eyes – we might see what the cottage looks like inside.

[h2]Companionship[/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
On the topic of making friends: Remember the big feature we added in June? Renaissance introduced companions that follow you around the map. Selene does so after Pandora lands in the Glade. ExtrapolAtion B's Daphne extends that behaviour across maps.

There's ways to go, but our goal is clear: Build a system that supports party members at preset positions on the map, persistent companions that follow you around – and last but not least – deployable battle combatants.

Let's be frank: This challenge is one of the tallest mountains we have to climb. On the other hand, we've already gotten super far. And besides – I do look my best when I'm dying on a hill.

[h2]X Marks the spot[/h2]

The last six months were a lesson in patience and restraint. We'll slowly but surely wrap up ExtrapolAtion C as the final (non-flashback) piece of pre-Paradise.

In broad strokes: the road continues in Trachi, then the world succumbs to RAIN. There's a multi-phase threesome with a couple of surprise appearances, followed by credits leading straight to ImmigrAtion.

More on that in the third and final preview – hopefully this month. Until then, here's a good-luck hug to manifest you a couple of stellar weeks! 🤗

much love
nory